How to Write a Visit Report

One of the most reliable ways to determine how well a business is faring is by using a visit report. Are your external operations doing as well as they should? Is your preschool or care facility up to code and ready for licensing? By writing a comprehensive visit report, you can determine whether a wide variety of business objectives are being met. Visit reports, sometimes called trip reports, are a great way to find out whether your business standards are being carried out on site in the way you planned.

Visit reports are business documents. Depending on the organization or industry, the report may follow a memorandum format or a business template. Generally, choose a memo format if the visit report is going to a group of internal leadership members. Choose a more formal business report template if the visit report will be provided to external sources. Use standard business formatting that includes professional type fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial. Maintain 1-inch margins.

Explain the reason for the visit. The objectives include the frequency of the visit, along with primary metrics or areas of review. For example, the visit might be the first in a series of four conducted over the course of a year to review the implementation of new policies or production metrics. Clearly state what you were looking for in the visit, including previous visits, recommendations or plans of action.

Example:

This report is to determine whether Plainview School has met all licensing requirements for after-school daycare.

Note the identity of key individuals interviewed during the visit. Visits might include meetings with key leadership personnel at the location, such as managers or directors of operations. It is also common practice to meet with lower level staff that are more familiar with operations processes.

Example:

Individuals interviewed included Sarah Winters, school principal, school nurse Emily Thorn, Rick Marden, elementary teacher and Carol Hathaway, nutritionist and dietician.

Discuss key feedback provided by leadership and staff. It isn't essential to quote those interviewed but to instead look for key insights and common areas of concern. Include any standardized surveys that were used or a specific series of questions asked during the visit.

Observations are based on what is personally seen and not conveyed based on interviews. For example, visitors might visually note that the operation seems to have too many workers that are not being kept busy. Anything from cleanliness to general organization is subject to observations. Include these insights in the visit report.

Example:

During a mid-day visit, the lunch offerings included a vegetable and a fruit choice, but there was no alternative offered for those with special dietary needs.

Determine if the organization is meeting objectives based on the provided feedback and observations. Use details and quantifiable information where possible to support conclusions. For example, if the objective of a visit to a new factory is to determine if it was 60 percent staffed in the first quarter, provide the actual human resource numbers with turnover, existing recruiting efforts and departments where deficiencies exist.

State when future visits are scheduled if any, and whether these are predetermined or a result of the recent visit. For example, this may have been the third annual visit on a quarterly schedule. Provide recommendations for improvements. If certain action plans are defined, state these in detail. This provides a success metric for the next visit.